CHICAGO – Oct. 16, 2017 – Tyson Foods, Inc. and the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) partnered today to donate a truckload of protein totaling 36,060 pounds to the Greater Chicago Food Depository to help fight hunger in the Chicagoland area.
The Food Depository will distribute the donated food, which is equivalent to 144,240 servings, through its network of partner agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters providing services across Chicago and Cook County.
“The Greater Chicago Food Depository is grateful to Tyson Foods for its longstanding partnership in the fight against hunger,” said Jill Zimmerman, vice president of development at the Food Depository. “Donations of protein are important to our work of providing nutritious food options for our neighbors in need. We thank Tyson Foods for this generous contribution and its ongoing support of our mission.”
NACS is holding its annual NACS Show at McCormick Place in Chicago this week. More than 20,000 attendees from 50-plus countries are expected to attend the event, which is one of the largest tradeshows in the country. The show features four days of general sessions, more than 50 educational sessions and more than 1,200 exhibiting companies.
“We truly believe that c-store doesn’t just stand for convenience store – it also stands for community store, and we are proud to join Tyson Foods in supporting the Chicagoland community that we call home this week during the NACS Show in Chicago,” said Jeff Lenard, vice president of NACS’ strategic industry initiatives.
Tyson Foods’ “KNOW Hunger” campaign is focused on helping more people understand and join the effort to eliminate hunger in America. The company partners with Feeding America, Share Our Strength and Lift Up America to raise awareness and help feed the hungry across the nation. Since 2000, Tyson Foods has donated more than 100 million pounds of protein in the United States.
In 2015, Tyson Foods announced its renewed commitment to hunger relief by pledging $50 million in cash and in-kind donations by 2020 in the fight against hunger, with a special focus on innovative initiatives at the local level.
“Partnering with organizations like the Greater Chicago Food Depository and NACS is important to us in raising awareness about food insecurity in communities all around the U.S.,” said Mark Purvis, vice president, convenience sales for Tyson Foods. “In this community alone, the Food Depository serves an average 200,000 pounds of food every single day. We’re honored to support those extraordinary efforts.”
To learn more about the Greater Chicago Food Depository and its hunger relief efforts, visit chicagosfoodbank.org
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About Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) is one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under three generations of family leadership, the company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells®, ibp® and State Fair®. Tyson Foods innovates continually to make protein more sustainable, tailor food for everywhere it’s available and raise the world’s expectations for how much good food can do. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company has 114,000 team members. Through its Core Values, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity, create value for its shareholders, customers, communities and team members and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it. Visit tysonfoods.com.
About National Association of Convenience Stores
NACS advances the role of convenience stores as positive economic, social and philanthropic contributors to the communities they serve. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 154,000 stores nationwide selling fuel, food and merchandise, serves 160 million customers daily—half of the U.S. population—and has sales that are 10.8% of total U.S. retail and foodservice sales. NACS has 2,100 retailers and 1,750 supplier members from more than 50 countries.
About Greater Chicago Food Depository
The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago’s food bank, is a nonprofit food distribution and training center providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community. The Food Depository, founded in 1979, makes a daily impact across Cook County with a network of 700 pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, mobile programs, children’s programs, older adult programs and innovative responses that address the root causes of hunger. Last year, the Food Depository distributed more than 71 million pounds of shelf-stable food, fresh produce, dairy products and meat, the equivalent of 164,000 meals every day. For more information, visit chicagosfoodbank.org or call 773-247-FOOD.
Media Contacts:
Derek Burleson, Tyson Foods, 479-290-6466, derek.burleson@tyson.com
Jeff Lenard, National Association of Convenience Stores, 703-518-4272, jlenard@nacsonline.com
Jim Conwell, Greater Chicago Food Depository, 773-843-2843, jconwell@gcfd.org